Reviews Archive

To be a sheep I'll comment on the price as well... However, I can't really because I don't remember the exact price, all I remember the set was over A$20 and that was too much for me! So I didn't buy one when it was released in 1993 because I just couldn't afford it! Year later however, now that I have more money and this website known as eBay, I've managed to score 3 or 4 of these at a good price.

Raft Raiders is obviously to the successor to 6257 Castaway's Raft and it succeeds quite nicely. It improves on the mast idea by adding a proper sail on a mast complete with rope ladders. Besides the concept of the set being a raft, there are also consistencies with is predecessor such as barells for floatation, 3 mini-figures and a shark.

Unlike its precedessor the pirates in Raft Raiders appear in a better situation as their raft look specially built for the purpose of raiding, while the poor Castaway's Raft Pirate have thrown a raft together with whatever they can muster. The Raft Raiders also have a treasure chest, where the former only possess a map, however this treasure may have come at a price since the Iron Hook mini-figure is missing an eye and hand, while another pirate is missing a leg. Raiding must be a perilous occupatation!

Overall a solid design with a goodly amount of mini-figures and accessories, something LEGO could have refer upon when designing its latest raft, the horrible 7070 Catapult Raft. So I give it 4 out 5.

The Renegade Runner, also called the RR was released in 1993 together with the bigger pirate ship the Skull's Eye Schooner. The ship has a crew of four and consists of 171 pieces. It has no center sections. The ship is the second ship of the Pirates line using the 12 studs wide hull pieces.

Some pictures of the whole ship.

6268: Renegade Runner: Left Side

6268 Renegade Runner: Frontal view

6268 Renegade Runner: The Stern

I was quite disappointed there was no cabin, but it was probably impossible for LEGO to make a simple cabin design on a little ship like this.

The front..

6268 Renegade Runner: Straight Ahead!

6268 Renegade Runner: A view from above

6268 Renegade Runner: The Figurehead

I really like this one. Simple and yet so effective.
Here's a close up of the single cannon.

6268 Renegade Runner: The Cannon

In case you've never seen the thin Prefab hull sections, I give you a picture of the bottom!

6268 Renegade Runner: Hull

Here is the crew of the ship. It's good they didn't choose the captain Roger fig this time.

I give this ship a 3 out of 5. I think LEGO could have put more effort in building this ship.Some things I don't like are the blue bits in the colour scheme, the lack of an anchor, the lack of a steering wheel and I think the stern section could also use some work. Generally, not the best ship LEGO made, but also certainly not the worst one.
I'm happy to own this little boat, and if you are really a serious Pirate LEGO collector, you should really try to get one of this!

I remember being really excited about this set before I owned it, probably because it looked really interesting in the yearly LEGO catalogues. Problem was the price tag was creeping up near $30 of the local currency which is quite expensive for something this size, and even more expensive back in the early 90's.

After months of chopping my grannies' wood and watering their gardens to earn some money, the set went on sale at the local Kmart for 25% off. This was my chance to own it. So I bought one as soon as I could! Finally this set I'd been yearning for what seemed an eternity was mine!

Only problem was after I built it, the set didn't seem that exciting...

The set comes with all the essential pieces for building a Pirate island, only problem was for its retail price it didn't come with enough. I think this is why I was initially disappointed, I was expecting more and The LEGO Group did a wonderful job of making the smaller LEGO sets look so much bigger than they really were. Fortunately now, the set can be acquired much cheaper from eBay and my budget has vastly increased so that initial disappointment has long faded. Now I can look at this set for what it really is!

The design looks cohesive, not a "hotch potch" throw-together like its mid 90's counterpart, 6296 Shipwrecked. Everything is well balanced and the set is a marvellous depiction of two shipwrecked survivors who've built a small shelter with what little they could muster. Still, all these years later I feel the need to reiterate its a bit on the small side.

Probably the most alluring aspect of Shipwreck Island is the attention to detail - there's a cannon complete with cannon balls, a palm tree, a flag, a palm tree, some leaves, treasure chest with treasure, even a tub with an oar to assist one of the pirates in seeking help. There is also plenty of mini-figure weaponary and ample fauna for the size of the island.

Shipwreck Island is definitely a good set for parts and if you were MOCing with 6270 Forbidden Island the pieces might prove useful. However, Shipwreck Island by itself would seem to have limited MOCing possibilities even if more than one was used the problem would persist due to lack of substantial building elements.

As a set Shipwreck Island would make a charming addition to your collection, it has a nice design and plenty of accessories to keep thing interesting. I'd give it a 2.5 out of 5, but this rating system forces me to round up to 3.

This set isn't very photogenic and very easily to passed off as just a collection of pieces by looking at pictures. But in real life it looks quite nice - its a good solid fort-like structure built upon the top of a rocking outcrop. It comes with a few nice little touches such as a campfire, raft with flag for a sail, a hidden treasure cave and heaps of mini-figure accessories, like a barrell, pot, cup, goblet, weapons, island drum and ceremonial staff.

Speaking of mini-figures, for a small set Treasure Chest contins a generous amount - two Islanders and two Pirates, plus there's a crocodile to keep them on their toes. Also there's an interesting twist, that being all other sets containing Islanders have the pirates invading them, but here its the other way round.

Although the most outstanding feature of this set, is not the design itself but its box. As far as I'm aware this is the most uniquely designed LEGO box in existence. Rather than being a traditional square shape, its in the shape of a treasure chest! So from a collector's perspective without the box this set is nothing.

Overall this set is a pleasant surprise as its better than it looks, however it is by no means the best pirate set. A good addition to your pirate collection, but for those not interested in pirates then this set might not have great appeal.

Does anyone else have one? Even if you don't have it (which I guess most of you don't), what is your impression of it from viewing pictures?